Last week, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said that he wants to have Peterson back on the team for the 2015 season while acknowledging that Peterson’s return to the team would be a “two-way street.”
General Manager Rick Spielman delivered a similar message on Wednesday. Spielman said that he didn’t know of a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want a player like Peterson in their lineup, but that the situation wasn’t as simple as just clearing a place on the roster for the running back. Peterson needs to meet the league’s guidelines for reinstatement, for starters.
“I’ve known Adrian his whole career and what type of person Adrian is. But I also know that we have to follow everything that’s put in place for us. Is there a resolution? Not right now,” Spielman said, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “All I know is where we stand today. Does that change? I’m sure it’s going to change. Until those things change and get resolved, right now, we have Adrian Peterson, who is under contract for next year, who is currently suspended by the NFL. That’s pretty much all I can go into right now.”
On top of the suspension, there’s also the subject of Peterson’s contract. He’s carrying a cap number of $15.4 million in 2015, something that the Vikings might want to see come down. Whether Peterson, who has mused about a fresh start elsewhere, would agree is another two-way street the team has to travel before Peterson’s fate will be known.